Washington County man sues DNR over license data breach

Associated Press

January 25, 2013 - 6:08 AM

MINNEAPOLIS - A Washington County resident whose records were accessed by a Department of Natural Resources employee has filed a lawsuit in federal court.

Jeffrey Ness is one of about 5,000 people whose driving or motor vehicle records were accessed without authorization. His complaint seeks class-action status, and is believed to be the first to come out of the data breach.

The employee's name has not been released. The DNR has said the employee no longer works there. The incident is being investigated.

The employee, listed as John Doe, is named as a defendant, along with the DNR, the Department of Public Safety, and commissioners of those agencies. The lawsuit alleges they violated data privacy laws.

A spokesman for the attorney general's office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.